Vascular occlusion devices (hereinafter generally referred to as “occlusion devices”) are surgical implements or implants that are placed within the vascular system of a patient. There are a number of reasons why it may be desirable to occlude a vessel. For example, the site of a stroke or other vascular accident can be treated by placing an occlusion device proximal of the site to block the flow of blood to the site, thereby alleviating leakage at the site. An aneurysm can be treated by the introduction of an occlusion device through the neck of the aneurysm. Other diseases, such as tumours (whether benign or malignant) can be treated by occluding the flow of blood to a targeted site of interest.
Several known occlusion devices include a coil having fibres, threads or strands attached to the coil; others include detachable balloons. In order to occlude a vessel successfully, occlusion devices must not have any substantial openings in them through which fluid can flow. Due to their structures, such occlusion devices are conventionally delivered without the assistance of a guide wire, which can be disadvantageous primarily due to less efficient deployment procedures.
Examples of known occlusion devices are disclosed in WO2009/124247, US2009/0216263, U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,261 and US2006/0004434.